I recently bought a new skimmer skiff formerly ipb. I am trying to install a bow mount trolling motor. There is about a inch and a half gap between the deck the the cavity holding flotation foam. Therefore it is pretty much impossible to through bolt. I have read where some people use the expanding well nuts and some people use toggle bolts. I know through bolting is best but what is the best alternative ?
I cut and pasted from a couple weeks ago... There is a tried and true method to mounting to the floor. Drill the hole, put an allen key in a drill with the short end making an "L". Insert the "L" into the hole and break up the foam. Vac out the foam and fill in the cavity with thickened epoxy. This gives you a real nice bite for screw and no place for water to intrude. I did it on my CS and on my core floor SUV. I also fill old screw holes that way as well. This would work for a TM as well, just rip out more foam and use more epoxy, making a bigger plug underneath.
I would but I'm concerned that the small gap that is between the deck and the cavity would allow the epoxy to just flow out
Congrats on the new boat! I bought the same boat earlier this year and ran into the same complexities. No access to the front of the boat is pretty common tho. I'll try to explain my solution which has worked perfectly so far (knock on wood). I have the MK riptide 55 SP with copilot mounted with a quick release plate RTA-17. This trolling motor had the smallest footprint of the 55 options. Puck: http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/RTA-17-QUICK-RELEASE-BRACKET/ Togglers: http://www.toggler.com/products/snaptoggle/overview.php Sealant/Adhesive: http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-3-oz-Marine-Adhesive-Sealant-PN5203/100161471 From the photo, all hardware is stainless and sized per the MK Quick Release instructions (dont recall the bolt diameters but ~0.375-0.5"). I filled the drill holes with 3M 5200 sealant. The thru bolt nut is accessible under the deck lip, outside the hull. The sheet metal screw was used because I did not have clearance for a toggler or thru bolt under the deck. My drill bit just cleared the deck before hitting the inside of the hull. The snap togglers are great as they are captive, very strong, and are compatible with standard stainless bolts. Lastly, because the deck is not flat I used a couple different rubber washers to level the deck, provide some shock absorption, and align the quick release plate. Let me know if you have any questions. If you're in East Orlando you're welcome to stop by to see mine. It's daunting drilling holes in the new boat!!
We cut a hole in the deck for a cup holder and I was able to get my hand under the deck to bolt the puck down.
How bad of an idea would it be to cut the foam out ? I know they put the flotation in because they have to. Would it effects the structural integrity of the boat ? That would be my only concern
There should be a fiberglass skin on the underside that would prevent the epoxy from flowing out the bottom and the foam would prevent it from flowing out the sides. Drill the top skin only and then put the allen wrench in there to clean out an area about 2" diameter.
I thought he said there is an 1 1/2" gap between the deck and the foam? Seems like toggle bolts and 5200 are the only option, no?
The deck has top layer fiberglass, core material, then bottom fiberglass. The deck is approx 1.5" thick altogether. The layers of fiberglass are quite thick as it was impossible to hand screw a small mounting screw thru one layer without a pilot hole. In the bow, below the deck is a small compartment of buoyancy foam. My solution above has worked fine. It would be nearly impossible to get a backing plate under there without cutting open the compartment and removing buoyancy foam. Good luck getting all the way up under the bow. Also due to the gunwale overhand and slope of the hull sides the motor would have to be set too far from the edge of the bow to get all the boats thru the deck. My experience at least.
